Strange title, I know. But it will make sense in the end. (And it rhymes!)
You know how sometimes you see something you want but can’t have, and it makes you want it more? That happened to me a couple of weeks ago.
Carman was taking a standarized test across town, the same side of town where there’s a huge thrift store. He was to test for 3 days for 2.5 hours each day. While he tested on the first day, I took the other 3 kids and perused the store for 2 solid hours. I found great deals for everyone, including an orange print cotton skirt for myself. It had a short ruffle on the end. Very cute. I put it in my buggy.
I had a big pile of items to check out, so I didn’t notice that the skirt was missing until I got home. What a bummer! It must have fallen out of my buggy when I was putting Doodle in and out of the back. I was so looking forward to trying it on. Oh well. Maybe it will still be there tomorrow.
So the next day, I went back again. Sure enough, the skirt was still there. But…it wasn’t nearly as cute as I remembered it being. It was kind of pale, not the vibrant deep orange I remembered. And the print wasn’t nearly as appealing as I had remembered. For a minute I wasn’t positive that it was the same skirt. I had to check the label. Sure enough. This was the skirt I had pined over at home.
I tried it on, but left the store without it.
I can vividly remember having a similar experience a few years ago. I was in the discount section of a decorator fabric store when a bolt of fabric caught my eye. It would be perfect for our bedroom! Money was tight, though, and I didn’t need it, so I didn’t buy it.
When I got home, I told Marathon about it. “The texture is sophisticated, but the print is a bit whimsical and youthful. The muted earth-tone colors are on a cream background. It was perfect. We could pull out one of the richer colors and make throw pillows when we’re ready.” “Buy it,” he told me.
When I giddily went back to the store and saw the fabric, I couldn’t believe THAT is what I thought I had loved. Funny how NOT having something warps our perception of reality. Again, I went home empty handed.
(The skirt in the photo is not my proverbial orange skirt. I borrowed this one from Flicker’s Squid!. Thanks, Squid! Cool shoes.)
Bethany~This is a great post! This happens to me ~ and sadly, sometimes, AFTER I bring something home from the thrift store! 🙁 I have been getting better at saying no and waiting ~ and I think it is because I’ve realized how not-satisfying it is to acquire things, in most cases, anyway. Thank you for the thought-provoking and lovely post!
Love, Wardeh